Speaking conferences bring benefits

September 01, 2008
by Lori Zetlin and Jeanne Tee

The slowdown in the US economy has communications executives scrambling to stretch budgets without sacrificing results. In times like these, a speaker's bureau program might seem like a "nice-to-have" component of a communications plan. But a targeted speaking program can provide huge value to communications programs, without the high cost.

The slowdown in the US economy has communications
executives scrambling to stretch budgets without sacrificing results. In times
like these, a speaker's bureau program might seem like a “nice-to-have”
component of a communications plan. But a targeted speaking program can provide
huge value to communications programs, without the high cost.

Let's look at the
benefits. One speech can reach a valuable audience of clients, employees,
media, and shareholders. To this audience, your company is positioned as an
industry visionary and your executive as a credible thought leader.

But the speech
itself is only the beginning. By broadly publicizing engagements, repurposing
speech content, and leveraging executive travel schedules, your company can
expand the impact of each speaking engagement by multitudes.

•Get the basics right. Focus on identifying the right
conferences and building relationships with the organizers. This will help you
understand what they need and create a pipeline of future speaking
opportunities.

Establishing
strong relationships with executive speakers is also important. Make sure they
are properly trained to deliver compelling, objective speeches that address key
issues in your industry. You need speakers who will be thought leaders, not
salesmen, at the podium.

•Maximum mileage, minimum coin. Speaking engagements can
deliver a great deal of bang for your buck. Issuing a press release about your
upcoming speaking engagement is an easy way to build brand awareness and boost
visibility.

Speaking
engagements can also help you strengthen relationships with the media. Invite
them to attend your speaking session and arrange one-on-one meetings. These
activities help generate press coverage – and are less expensive than press
tours.

Repurposing speech
content can enhance your communications programs and enable you to deliver
uniform messaging to internal and external audiences. Consider promoting the
speech to employees via your intranet, capturing audio or video of the speech
and posting clips on your Web site, developing a byline article for placement
in a publication, or leveraging speech content to develop collateral.

•Prime location. Leveraging the conference location is
another way to get additional mileage from your speaking engagements. Use the
conference environment to your advantage by attending networking events,
inviting locally based clients to attend your speech, and leveraging executive
travel schedules to conduct client meetings and employee recruiting activities
in the area.

With PR budgets
under pressure, a resourceful speaking program can help you do more with less.
If you take full advantage of the complementary communications and
relationship-building opportunities, you'll reach the right audiences with the
right messages – for less time, money, and effort.Lori Zetlin and Jeanne Tee are managing partners of S3 –
Strategic Speaker Services.